West Bend East and West High Schools have been operated as separate schools on a shared campus since 1970. Currently, the West Bend School District is examining the configuration of the schools. The district is asking for feedback on what high school configuration will best serve our students, our staff, and our community moving forward. Should it be one school? Two schools? We want to gather perspectives from as many stakeholders as possible.

The high schools combined currently serve 1,818 students. Enrollment projections are showing some significant shifts: the district is projecting about 1,500 students by 2029-2030, potentially dropping to 1,200 by 2037-2038. Like districts across Wisconsin, we're seeing the impact of declining birth rates. 

Review the population trends report "Planning for the Schools of Tomorrow" Report. There is also a synopsis of the report: Details of the Population Trends Report . 

February 25, 2026 Update: 

After the approval of the November 2024 referendum, the West Bend School District has been examining what high school configuration will best serve our students, staff, and community in the years ahead. Hearing from a wide range of voices has been central to this process. The district made intentional efforts to reach students, families, staff, and community members through multiple channels:

• Two open community meetings, drawing 65 total attendees

• Focus groups were conducted with students and staff at both high schools and Badger Middle School. Additionally, district staff continue to visit the schools during lunch hours to gather informal feedback directly from students.

• A survey distributed through family and student emails, social media, and newsletters generated 2,588 responses, including 811 from students.

• The district reached the broader community through multiple press releases resulting in print, digital, and television coverage, social media posts, two issues of the City of West Bend e-newsletter, and a dedicated page on the district website housing all details and updates.

All feedback gathered through these engagement activities will be synthesized and presented to the West Bend School Board for discussion on March 9. The board may take action on the configuration at its March 23 meeting.

Still want to share your thoughts? If you would like your feedback included in the synthesis presented to the board, please email your thoughts to wbsd@wbsd-schools.org. All emailed responses will be incorporated alongside the survey, focus group, and community meeting feedback.

Videos of Presentations to the West Bend School Board 

Since last fall, several informative presentations have been made to the West Bend School Board,  providing detail on several issues related to current high school configuration. 

October 27, 2025: Academic and Co-curricular Opportunities 
This presentation covers details such as how the academic programs are consistent across the schools. Other details covered: scholarships, valedictorian and salutatorian policy, commencement exercises currently in use, and awards to students. Click on the image below to watch the presentation. 

November 10, 2025: Athletics
Great detail is provided in the presentation on the current status of all athletics for East and West and opportunities and changes if configuration changes. Click on the image below to watch the presentation. Access the presentation slides. 

November 24, 2025: Financial Impact
In this presentation, the board learns of the financial considerations if configuration would change. Click on the presentation below to watch the presentation. Access the presentation slides. 

December 8, 2025: Engagement Activities 
The board and staff discussed community survey development and planning for engagement opportunities in this presentation.

More Background

All 9th-12th grade students attend East High School or West High School based on the birthdate of the oldest child in the family who is attending or has attended East or West High School. 

• Odd numbered birth dates will be assigned to West High School.
• Even numbered birth dates will be assigned to East High School.
• January 31, March 31, and May 31 will be considered even birth dates and assigned to East High School.
• All 8th grade students are provided an opportunity to select a high school for attendance. These requests, if approved, will be based upon space available. 

Co-Curriculars: With the exception of each school having its own National Honor Society chapter, all co-curriculars include East and West students in the same co-curricular, and the student council has been combined since 2013. 

Athletics: There are several club sports at the high schools: 

• Bowling (separate teams)
• Dance (separate teams)
• Downhill Skiing (co-op team)
• Mountain Biking (co-op team)
• Snowboarding (co-op team)
• Synchronized Swimming (co-op activity)
• Trap Shooting (co-op team)
• Winter Guard (co-op team)

Among WIAA sports, some sports are co-op and they cover several different athletic conferences:

• Baseball - Glacier Trails Conference (separate teams)
• Basketball (boys and girls teams) - Glacier Trails Conference (separate teams)
• Cross Country (boys and girls teams) - Glacier Trails Conference (separate teams)
• Football - Glacier Trails Conference (separate teams)
• Golf (boys and girls teams) - Glacier Trails Conference (boys separate; girls co-op)
• Gymnastics - Greater Metro Conference(co-op team)
• Hockey (boys and girls teams) - Classic 8 Conference (boys) (co-op team), Eastern Shores Conference (girls) (co-op team)
• Lacrosse (boys and girls teams) - North Shore Conference (co-op teams)
• Soccer (boys and girls) - Glacier Trails Conference (boys separate; girls co-op)
• Swim and Dive (boys and girls teams) - Glacier Trails Conference (boys), North Shore Conference (girls) (both boys and girls co-op teams)
• Softball (girls teams) - Glacier Trails Conference (separate teams)
• Tennis (boys and girls teams) - Glacier Trails Conference (separate teams)
• Track and Field (boys and girls teams) - Glacier Trails Conference (separate teams)
• Volleyball (girls) - Glacier Trails Conference (separate teams)
• Wrestling - Glacier Trails Conference (co-op team)